Opossums

Opossum

Opossums are nocturnal animals, primarily active at night. They are the only marsupial (pouch bearing) mammal in North America. They have an amazingly short gestation of 13 days, at which time up to 14 young crawl into the pouch and attach to a nipple for the next two months. The young are usually weaned after 100 days.

Opossums can be quite intimidating when confronted or cornered. They will hiss, growl and possibly bite if agitated Most often they are putting on a show and do not want a quarrel. Did you know that when “playing opossum” these creatures actually pass out from fright? It’s like a physiological switch is flipped in the brain, and they just shut down. This usually confuses its adversary and they leave. When the opossum awakes and sees that the danger is gone, they flee to safety.

Opossums usually become a nuisance when they take up residence in an attic or crawl space. Being a scavenger of carcasses and professional trashcan raiders, they often smell quite foul.

Control Methods: Inspection to identify all possible entries, trapping and exclusion to prevent future problems.